


Sorry For the Bruises (but now i'm here to kiss them better)

by Milkshake50



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: BAMF Michelle Jones, Bully Flash Thompson, F/M, Feminine Peter Parker, Gay Bucky Barnes, Gay Steve Rogers, M/M, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Tony Stark, Sassy Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, only a little tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24431452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milkshake50/pseuds/Milkshake50
Summary: In middle school, Peter Parker was a nobody. He was lanky, nerdy, and easy to push around.In middle school, Tony Stark was better than everybody. He had the nicest clothes and acceseries, the coolest rides, and the biggest brain. It didn't take him much to become the best bully towards one lanky Peter Parker.ORTony picked on Peter to get his attention in middle school only to have it bite him in the butt when Peter moves away for a while only to come back hotter than ever.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 22
Kudos: 182





	1. Backstories and Meeting Friends

In middle school, Peter Parker was a nobody. He was thin, lanky, and nerdy making him an easy target for bullies to push around. It didn't help that he skipped a few grades too. So not only was Peter smaller and more intelligent than everyone else, he was also the youngest. It wasn't easy getting by as Peter Parker, but the boy managed. He was sure to keep to himself and try to keep any confrontation with the eight graders to a minimum. 

Some days would be worse than others. Some days it would only be name calling and annoying nagging. Other days it's them shoving his lunch on the ground out tarnishing the projects and homework assignments he's worked so hard on. 

He didn't dare say anything. Too scared of the consequence, so he stayed quiet. 

One day though, that all changed. 

It was three days after Peter officially graduated eight grade when May told him the news. Peter remembers it like it was just yesterday. His aunt had come bursting through the apartment doors with a bubbly smile and a bag of Thai hanging off her arm. He had looked up at her and smiled as she kissed his head. 

_"Peter, honey, I have some great news." She had told him while taking out the food. "The hospital offered me a promotion to head nurse!"_

_Peter smiled at his aunt and wrapped his arms around her thin torso. "That's great Aunt May."_

_She nodded, a smile still on her cheeks. "The only downside is, it's in Long Island. We'll have to move."_

To say he was happy would've been an understatement. May didn't know about the bullying. Peter refused to tell her. She's already been through so much. He didn't want to put more stress in her than what she already has. 

That night the two started packing everything into boxes before slipping them onto moving trucks and hightailing it out of Queens. Peter watched the world around him pass by in a blur as they rode, a happy smile on his face the entire time. 

When they got to Long Island, they didn't waste a second settling into their new apartment. It was nicer than their old one and close to the water so Peter could swim whenever he'd like. 

It was a casual Tuesday evening when May strolled into their home with a brochure in her hands and a smile on her face yet again. 

"You'll never guess what I got at work today Pete." She said, setting down her purse. 

Peter's eyes latched onto her form, his cheeks stuffed with sugary cereal that he poured only seconds prior to her entering. May pulled a pamphlet out of her bag with smiling kids on the front and set it down on the coffee table. 

"What's this?" Peter asked after swallowing. 

"It's a brochure about a science themed summer camp." May started. "It starts next week and lasts all summer. It'll be good for you to get out of the house and make some friends." 

Peter swallowed thickly and eyed the brochure warily. People didn't typically want to be his friend so how would going to some summer camp help with that? 

"I-I'll think about it May." He stated finally. The hopeful look in his Aunt's eyes was enough to make him consider it. He knew she only wanted what was best for him and it wasn't like he was bringing friends over all the time back when he was in middle school. 

Her joyful smile turned into a strained one but she nodded and kissed Peter on the head. "Alright honey. I'm going to start on dinner. Want to help me cook?" 

Peter nodded and followed his Aunt into the kitchen. They spent the rest of the night laughing while cooking stir fry on the stove together. Peter knew he didn't need anyone else aside from his Aunt May, but if going to that camp would make her happy, then he'd do it.

* * *

The next week, Peter found himself standing outside a summer camp with cheerful screams piercing his ears. A backpack slung over his shoulder with everything he might need in it and a happy May smiling down at him with car keys between her fingers.

"I'm glad you decided to come Pete." She told him. "This'll be good for you."

Peter only smiled and nodded. "Yeah yeah. See you at the end of summer May."

"Bye Pete."

Peter watched as his Aunt drove off down the dirt road that led him up to this place before sighing dejectedly. No use of him standing there, so he made his way under the big oak sign and towards the cabin that was said to be his based on the color of the band on his wrist.

He threw his bag down and sat in the rickety old bunk bed for a moment. How was he supposed to make it the whole summer? He would rather be doing other things like reading his biology textbook for his first year in high school, or even brush up on some constellations that were out there. It's been a while since he's last been able to star gaze. It was nearly impossible where he used to live due to all the lights. 

Blowing out a breath, Peter made an executive decision and decided to head back outside. The floorboards creaked under his weight and dust rolled off the bed in waves when he jumped up. He paid it no mind though. When he got outdoors, the sun was shining brightly over his head making his eyes squint in protest. 

Kids his age were laughing and screaming around him and the loud noises were getting to his head. Looking around, he noticed a quiet shaded area beside a tree and headed for it. When he got there though, he could hear the gentle roar of waves. Behind the tree was a clearing with a muddy looking lake. The wet sand absorbed the water as it rolled up, so maybe it was more like a beach. Logs were lined by the water but not close enough for one to get wet or attacked by bugs. 

Grabbing a stick, Peter sat down on one of the logs and started drawing shapes in the sand. He made sure to include everything with them such as their measurements, their classification, even what they could be used for when building something. It was a nice way to calm him down after the emotional turmoil that coming to this camp brought him. 

"Hi, I'm Ned." 

Peter jumped at the sudden voice. Turning his head over his shoulder a bit, his eyes found a boy who looked around his age. Tanned skin, almond eyes, and dark hair. He wore a happy grin on his chubby cheeks as he came and sat next to Peter on the log. 

"H-hi." Peter managed to stutter. "I'm Peter." 

"Nice to meet you Peter." Ned said, still smiling. "Why are you sitting over here by yourself?" 

Peter shrugged and continued with his drawing. "To loud up there." 

Ned hummed. "Couldn't agree more dude. What'cha working on?" 

"Nothing." Peter said quietly. "Just drawing." 

"Nice." Ned replied. "Question, what's your opinion on Star Wars?" 

And with that, Peter had dropped his stick and started animatedly talking about his love for the franchise. Ned was happy to talk with him about it, even mentioning some lego sets he had back at home that were designed from the movies. It was easy for Peter and Ned to talk. Peter didn't feel attacked or put down when he talked to the boy. It was a nice change. 

"Wow." Peter blew out, his breathing heavy from talking so much without breathing. "It got dark pretty quickly." 

"Nah." Ned disagreed. "We were just talking too much. What cabin are you in?" 

"Blue. You?" 

"Same!" 

Peter jumped up excitedly and Ned followed suit. The two boys ran off to their cabin and settled in the beds next to each other so they could keep talking through the night. Sleep didn't seem important when Star Wars was the topic of conversation. 


	2. Reboot and Start-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's offically junior year and Peter and May move back to Queens. Peter got accepted into Midtown which is the school his summer camp friends go to. It's also the school his middle school bully goes to.

"Peter c'mon!" May shouted from the kitchen. Peter could hear her as he slid into his sweater. "You're going to be late!" 

It's been one week since Peter and May have moved back to Queens, and Peter was hating it already. There were no more waves to wake him up in the morning, no more sea breeze to lift his spirits, and no more comfort. In Long Island, Peter never had to worry about someone pushing him around. Everyone there was nice, but in Queens? Every bad thing that happened in middle school still haunts his brain. 

"I'm coming May!" Grabbing his glasses, he slips them onto his nose and bolts out of his bedroom door. May was already ready for him with a banana and a granola bar ready to be tossed for a quick escape. He caught both and waved his Aunt goodbye before jogging to the subway station so he could make it to school on time. 

It was officially the first day of his junior year and he wasn't ready for it. School back in Long Island had been easy. He was able to keep a low profile and make friends at the same time. He knew he'd miss Eddie and Johnny, but the two boys promised to keep in touch. 

The doors to the subway were just about to close when he slipped through. It was crowded just like he remembered it to me. People standing shoulder to shoulder with grumpy looks on their faces. It only made Peter miss Long Island that much more. When the subway came to a halt at his stop, he didn't waste a second jumping out and running up the steps. School was only a three minute walk from where he was. One if he ran. Looking down at his phone, Peter realized he would have to run if he wanted to actually be on time. With a sigh, he started running. 

A bit of sweat was on his brow, but he made it to class just in time. Midtown School of Science and Technology. They offered him a full scholarship to attend since he was so intelligent and May thought it would be a great opportunity. 

"Peter!" 

Looking to his left, Peter's eyes landed on those of his best friend. Ned Leeds. They've been close ever since they met at summer camp and remained in touch. Him and MJ were the only things Peter looked forward too when he heard he'd have to go here. At least he already had some friends. 

"Hey Ned." They did their little handshake. "Where's the teacher?" 

Ned shrugged. "Late I guess. Which is good for you considering you barely made it." 

"I woke up late." Peter tried to defend. 

"Sure." Ned snorted. 

"Sorry I'm late class." The teacher said as she walked in a bit frazzled. Her blonde hair was greying slightly and her green eyes were covered in large circular glasses. She had a large stack of papers in her hand and Peter guessed those would be the yearly rules and such. "Welcome to homeroom, my name is Ms. Elonworth. You'll have to come here every morning for fifteen minutes then you're dismissed. You can use homeroom to finish homework, talk to friends, or play on your phones for all I care. The news will be broadcasted every morning and I suggest you watch it if you want to-" 

The door burst open completely interpreting Ms. Elonworth. Peter gave Ned a side glance and the chubby boy just shrugged. Then, someone Peter hoped to never lay eyes on again stepped through. His dark hair was messy just like it was in middle school, his clothes were rugged and Peter hated to admit it but they looked good on him. Dark shades covered his eyes and silver rings were over his knuckles. His lips turned down in a frown that Peter swore he wore every day back in seventh grade. He had gotten taller which was no help to Peter at all. Broader too. Everything about him just seemed to grow and Peter liked it. His mouth went dry. 

Tony Stark stood there in the doorway eyeing everyone in the room like they were chickens. Peter looked away and tried focusing on his desk. 

"Mr. Stark," Ms. Elonworth began. "Is there a reason you've decided to throw my door open like some barbarian?" 

Tony's reply was short, Peter noticed. His voice sounded scratchy and rough like he had been smoking. He could've been for all Peter knew. "No." 

Heavy steps could be heard getting closer to where Peter sat. He tried sinking lower into his seat and keeping his face hidden, but that just didn't seem to be working. 

"Dude," Ned started. "What are you doing?" 

"Remember that middle school bully I was telling you about?" He asks Ned. 

"Yeah." 

"That's him." Peter's voice is quiet. He doesn't want anything to happen that might have Tony look in his direction. Not that he wasn't already too close for comfort. The older boy was already two seats away from sitting next to Peter. 

"Dude no way!" Ned said a bit too loudly. He lowered his voice a bit and whispered to Peter. "Tony Stark was your middle school bully?" 

"Mhm." Peter managed to get out. He would give anything to just have his sweater swallow him whole so he could escape the situation. Sadly, the world wasn't on his side.

"Parker?" Tony's voice called out. 

Peter winced and tried ignoring him. 

"Peter Parker?" Said boy peaked out a bit. Tony's never called him by his first name before. It's always been 'Parker' or 'Lanky Loser' or something insulting that made him want to curl into a ball and cry. "Leeds if you don't yank him up by the collar this instant I'm slapping you." 

Peter shot up immediately. His coffee brown eyes met with ones even darker. "H-hey." 

Tony scoffed. "No way." 

"Mr. Stark." Peter had never been more grateful towards a teacher in his life. "Please take a seat. We only have three minutes until the bell rings." 

Peter finds Tony's eyes on him one more time before he throws his bag down and sits in the desk right next to him. 


	3. Pastel Sweaters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a Tony's POV. He talks to his friends and gets crapped on by a few of them for his long time crush.

Peter Parker. 

Tony never thought he'd see that pretty face again. 

Those big brown eyes were once hidden by glasses two times the size of his face and the previously short brown curls grew to land right over his forehead. Just like middle school, Peter Parker was still the prettiest thing Tony had ever laid eyes on. 

Tony was surprised when he saw him sitting in homeroom. Even more surprised when the boy was in his science and math class too. Apparently, Parker was in all the AP classes offered. Just like Tony. Now it was lunch so the dark haired teen made his way into the cafeteria. Shades covered his eyes and his jacket smelt like smoke from the cigarette he lit by his bike instead of going to fourth period. 

"Dude," His best friend Rhodey says as Tony sits down. "It's the first day. Who skips classes on the first day?" 

Tony smirks. "Me. Duh." 

Natasha rolls her eyes. "Don't worry about him skipping as much anymore. A little birdie told me Parker was back." 

"Wait, Parker?" Rhodey asks. "As in Peter Parker?" 

Natasha flashes a smirk of her own. "That's the one." 

"Dude, haven't you been crushing on that kid since seventh grade?" 

"Shut it Barton." Tony fired. "I know for a fact that you've been staring at Nat's boobs since we were in kindergarten. If anyone can judge me here, it most certainly isn't you." 

Bruce snorts and hides his face behind his physics text book. Natasha only rolls her eyes again and Clint just grins proudly. 

"Who's Peter?" Steve asks as he breaks from making out with his boyfriend. 

Nat snorts. "Just the guy Tony's been in love with since seventh grade." 

"Tony's in love?" Bucky questions. "I thought he was more of a hump and dump kind of guy." 

"Ejaculate and evacuate kind of dude." Sam adds on. 

"Never pegged you for someone who had feelings." Steve snarks. 

"Well Peter was, is the exception. Tony's been head over heels since they were partnered up for some science project. Peter was a grade below us, but it was mentor day. The seventh graders got to teach the sixth grades something about their favorite subject." 

"Did Peter feel the same way?" Bucky asks. 

Clint shrugs. "No way of telling considering Tony pushed him around each and every day to get his attention. I swear he was like a whiny second grader when it came to expressing his feelings."

"Shut up." Tony mumbled. He was tired of listening to his friends trash him for his silly little crush. Ignoring them, he looked around the cafeteria in hopes of seeing the boy they were discussing and at the cafeteria entrance, Peter Parker in all his glory came walking through. His curly brown hair in its wild mess, big brown eyes wide and full of excitement, and perfect pink lips pulled into a wide smile. Tony clenched his fist at the sight. He should be the one making Peter smile like that. 

"Is that him?" Tony heard Steve whisper to Natasha. 

"Yep." Nat responded. "Can you see the drool leaving his mouth?" 

"Shut up." Tony huffed. His eyes followed Peter as he walked and laughed with his one friend from homeroom. He watched as the two boys sat down at a table near the back with a girl who had dark curly hair and a book in her hands. "How the hell does he already have friends? He's been here a day?" 

Bucky snorted. "Jealous?" 

Tony groaned. "Shut up. Just shut up! I'm going to smoke!" 

Swinging his legs around his seat, Tony jumps up and stomps out of the cafeteria in hopes to get far away from the jerks he calls his friends. 


	4. Confrontations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of the year project and Tony and Peter are partners.

Peter tried not to think too much about it when he walked into robotics that Thursday morning. It had been a week since school started and Tony had been sitting next to or near him in every class they shared together. Since they both took advanced courses, they were in a lot of the same classes. 

Peter tried, he really did, to ignore the boy who bullied him in middle school. It was hard and close to impossible, but Peter was somehow managing. He didn't talk to Tony, he didn't look at Tony, he didn't even breathe in the older boys direction. All in fear of another brutal punch that wasn't wanted nor deserved. 

"Alright class." Mr. Wright called from the front. "Today you will be getting your partners for the semester one robotics project. Remember, you will need to work on it in your own time considering the project is meant to last all semester. When I call your name, please draw a slip of paper from the hat." 

Peter wasn't really paying attention to what the man was saying, instead deciding to doodle little designs he could use for his robot. He only hoped that he would get paired up with someone decent. Someone who wouldn't want to hog the whole thing. He honestly wouldn't mind doing it on his own because that meant he could design the entire thing based on what he would like to see. 

Robotics was Peter's last class of the day so after this he was due to leave the classroom and head straight for the decathlon meeting. Today was the first one. The president of the team, Michelle Jones, had wanted to start as soon as possible. MJ talked about the AcaDeca team all the time back at camp, so Peter knew all about it. When she had said that Peter would be more than useful on the team, he decided to sign up. Her and Ned made it seem so fun. 

Sadly for him, Ned wasn't in the same robotics class as he was so he couldn't even have a small chance of his best friend being his partner. He knew him and Ned would be able to dominate everyone else when it came to building a robot. They did just that at camp one year. A robot building contest was held and Peter and Ned had paired up and built the best robot by far. At least that's what the judge said. 

The memory brought a smile to his face. 

"-ter. Peter!" 

Peter's eyes snapped up from his notebook, a half finished sketched dressing the page. The teacher, Mr. Wright, was looking at him with a hint of concern hiding behind his half moon glasses. 

"Sir?" 

Mr. Wright gave a small smile. "You're partner. Someone drew your name from the hat." 

Peter hummed and looked away from Mr. Wright and to the person standing next to him only to have his eyes blow wide. The person standing next to him was clad in tight black pants and an old AC/DC shirt covered in a black leather jacket. His hair was dark and messy like fingers just ran through it countless times and a smirk played on the dark pink lips. 

"Tony, Peter, I can not wait to see what you two come up with! It's so great that two of the best were matched." 

Peter couldn't hear the words leaving Mr. Wright's lips, he could only focus on the one person he tried avoiding since he got here. The one person he didn't want to be around, the one person who made his life hell in middle school. The one person named Tony Stark.

"So when can we meet up and start working?" 

Peter didn't look the taller boy in the eyes, just continued to shove books into his bag on the floor. His teeth had been worrying his bottom lip since he found out about Tony being his partner and his fingers longed to pinch his thigh like he typically did when stressed. 

"Hello? Earth to Parker. Anyone in there?" 

Peter's breath hitched when he felt a hand claps down on his shoulder. His whole body flinched away on instant before he took a step away. He stopped putting things into his bag and tried looking at Tony so he could answer his questions. The sooner he did, the sooner Tony would leave him be. 

"I think we should start working next week." Peter mumbled. "How do Mondays and Wednesdays sound?" 

Peter's eyes followed Tony's hands as he slipped them into the pockets of his jacket. "Mondays and Wednesdays work for me. Your place or mine?" 

"How about the library for now so we can work on the general design." Peter's stutter has gotten better since middle school. He remembers when he could barely even speak to Tony without butchering every word that passed through his lips. He still couldn't stop the slight shake his body made when he was this close to the older boy though. The thought of getting hit seemed to overpower all other rational thinking. 

Tony had nodded. "Alright. See you then?" 

Peter gave a single nod before slinging his bag over his shoulder and squeezing the strap tight. "See you then." 

Without saying another word, Peter shuffled out of the now empty classroom as quick as his feet would allow him. The only thought running through his mind being, _how the hell am I supposed to work with Tony Stark?_


	5. Sorry y'all

Ok, so I know I haven't updated in like a year, and I just looked back at this story and decided to give it a rewrite. The first four chapters wil be posted by next week (with some updates) as well as two-three new chapters to compensate for the wait. 

From then on I will have regular updates so you guys won't have to wait. 

Thanks so much for reading and I promise to have a steady flow of content in the future. 


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